RICHARDSON, Texas (Feb. 17, 2003) --
The University of Texas at Dallas' Alumni Association will award class rings to two outstanding UTD
students in special ceremonies on April 15.

The two - Erin Dougherty, a senior in the School of
Arts and Humanities, and Jennifer Dunn, a senior in the School of General Studies - were selected
for the UTD Class Ring Award from among 18 candidates by a review team composed of UTD alumni, faculty,
staff and past ring award recipients. The criteria for consideration were academic achievement and
community service. Each candidate was required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.0, to present
three letters of reference and to write a 250-word essay on the topic "What the UTD Ring Means
to Me."

Dougherty, a graduate of Plano Senior High School,
has been an active member of the UTD Student Ambassadors, the Student Union and Activities Advisory
Board, Habitat for Humanity and Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity. She also co-chaired the Homecoming
2002 steering committee and was the inspiration behind the newest tradition introduced at UTD - "Oozeball." This
semester, she is in Washington, D.C., as an Archer Fellow.

Dunn, a graduate of Arlington High School, is a four-year
member of the nationally ranked UTD women's soccer team. She has been an American Southwest Conference
All-Academic award winner every year of her eligibility, and this year she became the first UTD student-athlete
to become an NCAA Academic All-American. Dunn was named to the UTD Team Leadership Group this year.

"A class ring would symbolize to me the diligence
I have invested in my education, and also the incredible rewards I have and will reap from it," Dunn
wrote in her essay.

"Erin and Jennifer are both outstanding young
women who have been great assets to our university," said Pat Yandell of UTD's alumni relations
office.

The UTD Class Ring Award is sponsored by the UTD Alumni
Association's Ring Committee, chaired by Kathy Meyer, and is funded by private contributions to the
Alumni Ring Endowment Fund.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart
of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor,
enrolls more than 13,000 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront
of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment
of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please
visit the university's web site at http://www.utdallas.edu.